Kage no Alice
by Itaneko-chan
Summary: It's not usual that a group of basketball prodigies are found, much less at the same school. It's just strange that they all seem to know each other from way before their years in middle school. But it's even stranger when basketball isn't their strongest talent, much less their only talent.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: Hey, it's Itaneko-chan, and I'm back! Here's the first chapter of my new mafia-inspired story! I won't add any omake in this fic since it messes with the flow of the story a little. Also, if I were waiting for an update and the author put in an omake, I would feel a bit cheated, and I don't want you guys to feel like that! I showed the chapter to Shizuka before I posted it, so I guess she's like the unofficial beta…but that's only if she edits anything. Bu~t she's too lazy XDDDD Anyway, please enjoy this first chapter! I revised it and added that beginning part, so please re-read it! Disclaimer- I don't own Kuroko no Basuke.)

* * *

_"I'm going to need you to open your eyes and tell me if you can hear anything I'm saying." A sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his bangs, messing up the locks hanging just above his eyes. "I know you're barely awake, but right now we're in the middle of the mission, and we've finally tracked him."_

_The teal haired male's body tensed in pain as he rushed to sit up, bringing a hand to his forehead as he ran his fingers over the surface of the white bandages covering part of his head. "Shintarou-kun? Where's Shougo-kun, and what happened?"_

_"The section you were investigating was rigged, but you were lucky enough to get away alive. Shougo is still alive, so there's nothing to worry about there. If my calculations are right, I'd say that you have approximately five minutes to get to Seijuurou before he does something completely irrational. " _

_Kuroko tilted his head to the right as he bit his lip, "But it'll take half the time if you carry me there, right? I'll cover you, Shintarou-kun, so please only worry about not dropping me. It worries me to have to leave Seijuurou-kun without a report for this long."_

_Midorima picked his patient up as gently as he could, kicking the door down and running down the hallway as quickly as he could, leaving any offensive attacks (other than the occasional times where he would have to literally kick people down). Entering the final room, his eyes widened along with Kuroko's as they saw Akashi and another male facing each other, as if fighting to the death. "Seijuurou," the glasses-wearing male murmured, placing the smaller male on the floor slowly, watching as the phantom-like player approached the two._

_"This is my fight, Seijuurou-kun. Please rest for now, and leave this to me. You look tired." Ruffling Akashi's hair gently, he turned around, spinning his small gun around the pointer finger of his right hand. "Are you ready?" Closing his eyes, Kuroko lunged forward, firing at his opponent as he imagined himself weaving through players as if on a basketball court. After hearing no outside noise, Tetsuya opened his eyes once more, observing the body lying on the ground with a hidden emotion. "I win, Touma-kun."_

_As the six walked away, they failed to notice the faint pulse of the 'corpse'. "You damn…cocky…" A cough. "Never would've expected you to do such a sloppy job."_

* * *

"An armed, suspicious figure has been sighted on campus. Seirin High School is entering lockdown. I repeat; Seirin High School is entering lockdown. Please stay inside of your classrooms instead of reporting to your after school activities. If you are being picked up by a parent, then talk to your teacher."

"Hah? Another one? Geez, it's like these guys come _out of their way_ to come scare the crap outta us, yeah, Kuroko?" There was a pause as Kagami turned around to face his shadow…that conveniently wasn't there. "K-Kuroko!"

The teacher assigned to watch over the students paused in his step, pulling his nose out of the book he was reading to address the American's problem. "Is something the matter, Kagami? If I can remember correctly, you live alone, and a parent will _not _be picking you up, so please stay seated."

Quickly standing up, Kagami marched over to his teacher, slamming his hands on the desk in front of him. "One of your students is missing! Where is Kuroko Tetsuya?"

Rolling his eyes at the loud annoyance in front of him, the teacher raised an eyebrow. "Please don't throw a fit over an imaginary and fake person. There is no _Kuroko Tatsuya _on my roll call list, Kagami."

The power forward had to stifle his laughter. "Ah, _sensei_, Himuro _Tatsuya_ goes to Yosen. I'm talking about Kuroko _Tetsuya_. He sits behind me in class?"

Again, the teacher was confused. "I'm not sure who this 'Tetsuya' is, but I'll send a message to the other teachers to see if maybe he ended up in their classroom. Is that good enough for you?"

Kagami growled internally. Apparently, this was the best that he would get from his lazy and lame excuse for a teacher. "Yeah, sure."

His classmates were more than surprised to see the power forward being so submissive. Usually, the redhead would have fought back with everything he had. The girls in the class sighed to themselves, remembering how he would play on court. None of them were particularly sports fan, but they couldn't deny that they did enjoy watching Kagami play. The only problem was that aside from Alex, Riko, or Momoi, Kagami had an inability to talk to anyone of the opposite gender. Ah, well, that can be fixed.

* * *

"I'm surprised that you of all people would come to meet me, Kuroko Tetsuya." The intruder mumbled, running a hand through his short, black hair.

"How so?" The shadow asked innocently, walking towards the intruder with an air of helplessness.

"It's not everyday that someone from the regal Kuroko mafia would come to meet such a lowly member of the _Toshiyuki_ family."

Recognizing the name immediately, Kuroko quickly lunged at the man. In a second, he disarmed the male before him, holding the gun in his right hand. "If you know that I am of the Kuroko family, then you should know of the tragic war that took place eight years ago, when _your_ family waged war against mine."

"Ah, yes. I do remember that, Kuroko Tetsuya-kun. I remember the face of your parents when I shot them. I remember how they screamed in pain and wailed for you. See?" He held up a picture of Kuroko himself. The photo was stained with blood, and Kuroko had no doubt about whose it was. It reminded him of what his mother used to call 'her lucky charm'. She always carried it on her person, and refused to go anywhere without it.

"Mother…Father…" The emotionless teal haired male looked up at the intruder with a slightly crazed look. "So _you're_ the one." Without a second thought, Kuroko shot the killer in the leg, relishing in the sound of the man as he screamed out in pain. "I should torture you for what you did…"

"No! I wasn't the one that actually killed them!"

"So you _lied_ to me?"

"Yes! I-I mean, no! I wouldn't lie to the head of a mafia family!"

Kuroko snapped the male's neck quickly. "If you didn't lie, then that would mean that you did kill them. Goodbye, Toshiyuki." The sound of blood splattering on the ground and onto his jacket snapped Kuroko out of his current mindset.

_'I did it again…I snapped again. Next time, I might end up killing more people.'_ Kuroko pulled the glove off and stuffed it in his pocket, reaching for the gun.

* * *

_'Someone, stop me. Stop me, please…'_

"Kuroko!" A certain tsundere shouted to no one in particular, shooting the last ball into the hoop with ease. "Coach, I need to leave."

"Going to Seirin, Midorima? They were in lockdown, but I think that they just let their students begin to leave the campus. You should wait until the chaos dies down."

"I'm leaving _now_," the green haired male emphasized the urgency of his request, internally sighing in relief when he saw his coach give in.

"Fine. Consider this the last of your selfish wishes for the day, Midorima. You should expect a doubled training menu and tripled running drills," the Shuutoku coach growled out, pinching the bridge of his nose as he watched the MiraGen member hurry to the locker room.

"Sometimes I wonder why we even bothered to scout one of those Generation of Miracles freaks…especially _Midorima_ of all of them," Miyaji snorted at his own question, staring at the basketball that Midorima had just shot perfectly. The orange object was lying innocently by the storage room door as if it were trying to put itself away.

The object of Shuutoku's basketball team's frustration pulled his emerald green cell phone out of his pocket quickly, dialing Takao's number. He wasn't at all surprised when he was sent to voicemail. After all, Takao was eating with that…friend…of his, and probably wouldn't answer his phone just because Midorima called. It would definitely be seen as rude.

"Takao, I had to leave early. Come by my house for the notes you need later on tonight. You may stay for dinner." He promptly hung up, ignoring the slight throbbing that he felt in the right region of his head. Something was definitely going on, and he needed to kick up the speed if he wanted to reach Seirin before Kuroko turned into an old man. Midorima thanked Akashi, wherever he was, for all the extra running drills the captain made him do as punishment.

Not only had Midorima arrived at Seirin sooner than he expected, he was not as sweaty as he thought he would be. The only problem was that it had been approximately twenty minutes since he had heard that distress message in his head from Kuroko, and it was now biting at the taller male. What had happened that would unnerve the emotionless phantom player? It would most likely have to do with either the Generation of Miracles, or Kuroko's late family. If Midorima had a choice, he would definitely choose the latter. He continued walking to where he felt Kuroko would be.

Midorima pushed the door to the roof open with a sigh, his eyes widening as he saw Kuroko's hand pull the gun closer to himself. The police appeared helpless as they begged Kuroko to put his hands up and back away from the dangerous weapon. None of the members of Seirin's basketball team were doing any better. Pushing his glasses up with a determined look on his face, Midorima walked over to Kuroko, ignoring the protests of the police and the Seirin students. He deftly picked the smaller male up. "Are you alright, Kuroko?"

"Midorima-kun?" Kuroko looked up at the green haired male, teal bangs falling to the sides to reveal slightly puffy, blue eyes. "You came…" He placed a hand on Midorima's cheek, blinking his eyes once more as he did so. "Thank you."

The unusual pair of basketball players arrived at Midorima's house not long after leaving Seirin, and Midorima breathed out in relief. "Many things could have happened if you weren't careful, Kuroko, and even worse things could've happened if I wasn't able to leave practice."

"But I'm fine, Midorima-kun. Don't worry too much," the passing specialist tried his best to calm down the shooting guard before him, failing in the end.

"…" Midorima's head fell forward, his face burrowing into Kuroko's shoulder. For a few minutes, no one moved, and complete silence enveloped the room.

"What's wrong, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko raised his shoulder slightly to get a better look at the glasses-wearing male. The shadow knew that Midorima was usually a silent person, but this was beyond anything he had ever seen from the other basketball player. "What happened between you and Takao-kun?"

Midorima's breathing seemed to stop, and a choked, "Nothing," forced itself out of his throat. "Why do you assume that something happened with Takao?" He tried to sound as regal and normal as possible as he barked out a harsh laugh, although it's quite obvious how that worked out.

"_Shintarou_-kun…" Kuroko delicately grasped Midorima's chin in his right hand, tilting the shooting guard's face towards him. The emotionless male forced Midorima to look into his eyes, proving just how worried and serious he was. "What happened?"

"I…"

* * *

_"Takao, hurry up." Midorima rolled his eyes at the point guard's frivolous attitude. "We're going to be late if you keep walking as slow as you are."_

_"Eh? Sorry, sorry, Shin-chan!" Takao quickly apologized, averting his eyes away from the emerald ones that were currently staring at him with slight irritation._

_"Takao, what's wrong?" 'Shoot,' Takao thought to himself, mentally cursing Midorima's ability to see completely through him as if he were made of glass._

_"Nothing's wrong, Shin-chan! Don't worry your pretty little head about it!" 'Shit. Now I've gone and called him pretty.' The Shuutoku 1st year looked up to see a slightly confused (and maybe even blushing) Midorima._

_"You think I'm cute?"_

_No. I think you're drop-dead sexy, Shin-chan._

_"W-What? You think I'm s-sexy, Takao?"_

_"I-I didn't mean to say that out loud, Shin-chan! I-!"_

_"Takao, calm down." Midorima cut in, leaving no room for Takao to add in anything else._

_"Shin-chan…I have to tell you something." Takao clenched and unclenched his fists and toes in nervousness, letting his anxiety show. "I like you, Shin-chan."_

_"I…I like you too, Takao."_

_"But Shin-chan, I like you _more_ than a friend…"_

_"I…" The tsundere was speechless. What was he supposed to say to that? 'Oh, so do I, but I'm involved with the mafia. So you'll probably be killed within the next, say, week or so?' Yeah, that would go over well. "I…"_

_"Don't worry, it's not like I expected you to be gay or even bi, Shin-chan!" Takao chirped with fake happiness, making Midorima furrow his eyebrows in exasperation._

_"I…"_

_"See you tomorrow, Shin-chan! I have to meet a friend of mine today!" Paranoia crept into Midorima's entire being._

_"Who? Does he go to our school? Or is it a girl?"_

_Takao widened his eyes in surprise before closing them as he attempted to hold in his loud and- dare Midorima say it- beautiful laughter. "No, no, Shin-chan! He's a friend of mine from middle school! He goes to high school in Russia, though."_

_"Russia?" It can't be…_

_"Yeah, but only because his dad got a job there! His name is Japanese though." Lies…_

_"Be careful, Takao." Midorima advised quickly, turning his head away as to not look like he cared too much._

_"As much as I love_ _you worrying about me, I don't wanna be late, 'kay Shin-chan? Don't worry~!" _

_"You're skipping practice today, Takao?"_

_"Yup! Don't worry; I'll be there tomorrow, and the practice after that, and the practice after that! So don't panic too~ much without me, Shin-chan! Wouldn't want the upperclassmen to complain about how you were so lonely and sad without me~!" With that, Takao left in a flurry of dust and emotions, leaving the tsundere alone to contemplate what had just occurred._

* * *

"It's alright to cry, Midorima-kun. I'm not judging you."

"It's not alright for me to cry in front of you, Kuroko," came the immediate reply from Midorima.

"Why not?"

"I don't cry," Midorima rationalized, narrowing his eyes at the shadow in front of him. He wasn't lying; in fact, in all of the time that Midorima had spent with the Generation of Miracles, he could only remember crying once. That was the day that…

* * *

_"Please stop already, Father! Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" A young boy cried out in agony as his father dragged the scalpel across the skin of his left arm, creating a thin line of red. Suddenly, without any warning, he stabbed the scalpel deeply into the wrist of his left hand. "Ah!" The son of the crazed scientist howled, tilting his head back to avoid looking at all the blood that he could feel leaving his body._

_"No, don't look away. If you want to take over your mother's business and mine, you have to know about the human body." He grabbed the boy's chin roughly, forcing him to look at his own blood. The small boy shut his eyes tightly, refusing to look._

_"Open your eyes, boy." The boy continued to defy him, and refused to open them. The father slapped his own son across the face, watching in satisfaction as a pair of eyes looked at his own blood, and then at him. "There you go, son. Now, this will be your last set of experiments for the now, alright? Well, that's too bad! Anyway, you'll be staying with the Akashi family."_

_"S-Seijuurou…" The small boy mumbled, testing the slightly foreign name on his lips._

_"That's the name of the heir to the Akashi Corporations. Good. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if my son was stupid."_

_His father shrugged absentmindedly, pulling out a needle and stitching up the incision he made on his son's left arm. The stitches were finished quickly, and he twirled the scalpel a few times. "Would you rather have the more painful experiment now? It's your choice."_

_"I would rather it be after, Father."_

_"Okay! While I was hoping you'd let me do the other, I'll let you in on a little secret." His father's smile turned maniacal, "I really don't know which one is more painful!" He threw the scalpel up into the air, watching in amazement as it landed to the right of his son's head, just barely missing the edge of his face. A look of fear and shock landed on his son's face as his eyes focused on the sharp blade. "This experiment will enhance your eyesight. You'll have perfect aim, and you'll be a perfect judge of distance! It's the perfect experiment! The only downside is that you'll have to wear glasses occasionally since your eyes are a bit too strong, but oh well! It's not my problem!"_

_The boy ground his teeth together, looking around for any escape. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the needle sticking out of his arm until the numbness kicked in. The small boy tried to stay awake as long as he possibly could, but his heavy eyelids didn't make his task easy at all. Maybe a few minutes of sleep would be alright…_

_"Yes!"_

_He didn't' know how long he was asleep, but was awoken immediately by the loud shout of happiness. "Did it work, Father?" Of course, he was expected to ask the dreaded question after every experiment, lest he want the words imprinted on his skin._

_"Worked? It's better than that!"_

_"But why can't I see anything, Father?" The young boy wondered aloud, cringing when he tried to open his eyes._

_"Silly boy, you won't be able to open them for a week. Not to forget that there's a blindfold over your eyes. Now stay here; I'll go get our guests. If we're lucky, we'll be able to meet Kuroko Tetsuya. The probability of even finding him is low, but you should be able to do it." He ruffled the boy's hair, walking to the living room to meet his guests._

_The young child tried his best to follow his father, although the blindfold wasn't allowing him to see anything at all. He bumped into multiple walls and doors, and into bothered him when he imagined how incredibly stupid he looked._

_"Are you, by chance, the doctor's son?" A foreign voice asked, catching the boy's attention. Somehow, he could feel a second person that wasn't talking. It should be the other name that his Father mentioned…_

_"Yes, that would be me." The son replied immediately. "Would you happen to be Akashi Seijuurou…and Kuroko Tetsuya?"_

_"How did you know that Tetsuya was here?" Akashi asked, letting the boy know that he was right in his guess._

_"I can feel him here…" The small boy answered, unsure of how his answer would be received. "What procedure will you have me undergo?"_

_"Why would we experiment on you?" Kuroko Tetsuya (the boy assumed) questioned, placing a hand on his right shoulder._

_"Everyone here experiments on me," the boy snorted. "If you're going to experiment on me, then at least wait until my eyes heal. Father said it would take a few weeks."_

_"It's not good to lie to Aka-chin like that, little boy," a slightly higher pitched voice added into the conversation. "He said that your eyes would get better in a week, _chibi_-chin."_

_"Atsushi, leave him alone." Akashi commanded, silencing the man that was talking a few seconds earlier._

_"Well, if Aka-chin and Kuro-chin say so…" Atsushi's voice trailed off, letting the other three know that there was still room for discussion._

_"Have you already murdered Father?" The blindfolded male gulped, hearing a steady beeping that sounded like the ticking countdown of a bomb._

_"Yes; your father is already dead, and you will be coming with us." Akashi responded shortly after, his eyes widening as he noticed the boy start to shake while tears began to make their way down the small boy's cheeks. Blood began to mix into those tears, scaring the other three around him slightly._

_"We aren't going to hurt you, alright?" The soothing voice of Kuroko Tetsuya whispered, comforting the small male. The small boy nodded, wiping away his tears quickly, but missing a few in his rush to look presentable. Smiling, Kuroko gently used his thumb to wipe them away. "Would you mind telling us your name?"_

_The small boy nodded, "Sh-Shintarou."_

_Akashi raised an eyebrow, "No family name, Shintarou?"_

_Shintarou shook his head. "Neither Father nor Mother have allowed me to carry our family name. In fact, it's been a while since I've heard my given name."_

_"And why is that, Shintarou-kun?" The teal haired boy sat down, patting on the ground next to him for the other male to sit beside him._

_"Mother, Father, and all of the people here only call me, 'boy'. It's practically my name now."_

_"What about your family name? Do you know what it is?" Kuroko wrapped an arm around Shintarou's shoulders, doing his best to offer some comfort to the traumatized child._

_"I've never been out of this building, nor do I know what my family name is. All I know is that I am Shintarou, and that my parents are very wealthy people."_

_"Midorima," Akashi finally said, surprising the group around him._

_"Wh-What?"_

_"Your name, Shintarou. Your name is Midorima Shintarou, and you are officially part of us."_

_"Us?"_

_The fairly tall, purple haired male scratched at his head in an attempt to explain to Midorima Shintarou what they were. "Have you heard of the mafia?"_

_The small boy- Shintarou- nodded. "Father says to stay away from them because they cause trouble."_

_"Your father was in trouble with the mafia because he stole our equipment."_

_"Meaning that…you're all part of the mafia?" Midorima's eyes widened slightly as he took in all of the information._

_"You can call it a family, if you like, Midorima-kun." Kuroko stood up after taking Akashi's hand, holding his out to the small boy still sitting down. "Will you join us?"_

_"I assume that the other option is death, correct?"_

_"You are correct, Shintarou," the red-eyed teen (1) responded without missing a beat, looking down at the boy as he enjoyed doing._

_"Alright…I'll join this…'family'…of yours." Midorima clasped onto Kuroko's hand tightly, feeling himself being pulled up by the shadow._

_Murasakibara placed a hand on Midorima's shoulder, giving the smaller male a slight warning that he was going to pick him up. As he did so, Midorima gave a squeak and tried to escape from the unusual feeling that was the warmth from Murasakibara's arms. "You're one of us now, Mido-chin, and we're not letting anything happen to you, or anyone get to you." Murasakibara hugged Midorima closer to him, kicking down the door to make it easier for Kuroko and Akashi._

_"It also means that you can never leave, Midorima-kun. Whether you want to or not, after you join us, you will never be allowed to withdraw from our group. When you join, you join for life. The only way out is death. In other words, you can think of this as a small portion of the game of life. It's ultimately your decision whose pawn you wish to be."_

_"You seem trustable, Kuroko. If you're certain that this will work out, then I'll trust the three of you…"_

* * *

"Do you remember that? You can trust me, Midorima-kun," Kuroko wiped Midorima's tears away with his thumb as he had done in the past, listening to Midorima's confession. The green haired male felt his tears slowly but surely come to an end. "Do you feel better now?"

The tsundere nodded once, opening his mouth to speak. He looked over at the teal haired boy who seemed to understand what he was trying to say. "Th…Thank you, Kuroko."

"I won't tell anyone, Midorima-kun, but when are Kise-kun and Aomine-kun coming? They were supposed to be here a few minutes ago…"

"Kise had a photo shoot that ended five minutes ago, so he'll be late. Aomine offered to escort Kise, since he will most likely have to cross-dress to avoid his fans…" Midorima had a horrified look on his face, reminding Kuroko of how the ace shooter would look after a bunch of girls had confessed their love to him and given him lots and lots of chocolate on Valentine's Day. The taller male would usually end up sitting in a corner, wrapped in a blanket and hugging his lucky item, which was somehow always a type of stuffed animal. One year, Midorima had attempted to avoid his fate by staying at home, although Kise (on his way to a photo shoot) had used Midorima as a scapegoat. The girls were clawing at the front door for hours and hours. Needless to say, Akashi was _not_ happy at _all_.

By the end of Kuroko's reverie, Midorima had cleaned himself up, made snacks (and prepared drinks), and was opening the door for Aomine and Kise. He had to remember to keep his emotionless façade on when he saw the model.

Kise was wearing a (stuffed) bra, long, blonde wig, a nice, white top, and a short, navy blue skirt. Apparently, Aomine had deemed the outfit "too showy" (although he had liked the breasts it gave Kise) and had given the blonde his school jacket. If Kuroko hadn't known any better, he would've thought that they were a cliché high school couple.

"Kurokocchi," Kise mumbled quietly, tilting his head down. "I'm sorry we're late. My manager messed up the dates for my shoots, so today's one was actually later…"

"It's alright, Kise-kun, but we shouldn't keep Akashi-kun and Murasakibara-kun waiting." Kuroko walked over to Midorima's computer, opening Skype immediately. He called the other two males, taking complete advantage of the fact that they all had Skype Premium. Akashi was the first to answer, followed by Murasakibara a few seconds later.

"What happened, Tetsuya?" Akashi inquired quickly, his eyes catching onto the slightest change in Kuroko and Midorima's facial expressions.

"I met the man who killed my parents," Kuroko trembled slightly, remembering how he was quick to lose control.

"We all would've done the same, Kuro-chin." Murasakibara mumbled, trying his best to ease Kuroko's worries. "I'm gonna be in your district for a tournament." The giant quickly remembered, opening a box of pocky as he said so.

"Basketball?" Kuroko wondered aloud, thinking of all the possible tournaments. "Oh, coach said that we aren't participating in any of those because she wants to work on some other drills, practice menus, and have other matches." Apparently Kise and Midorima's coaches had said the same thing. "She said that she got a letter asking for the schools that had a member of the GoM (in their district) to have our own matches outside of the tournament…but I think that they just wanted Kagami-kun out of the competition. They never seem to remember me, seeing as they said nothing about a GoM member in Seirin."

Murasakibara shrugged, showing that he didn't care. After all, the following matter did not pertain to him, so he didn't care. "That means that it won't be very interesting…"

"Anyway, we'll all be in your district then. Rakuzan has decided to visit Seirin to compare curriculums. I will be in your class, Tetsuya. They've also decided that a member of Rakuzan will _shadow_ one student of Seirin, and they've chosen only the best students to do so." Akashi folded his hands in front of him professionally, his smirk scaring the other five on call.

"It seems that for one day our roles will be reversed, Akashi-kun."

Murasakibara seemed to stare at the clock on his desk for while before turning his attention back on the call just in time to hear what Kuroko, Akashi, and Midorima had planned. Apparently, Akashi was arriving in Kuroko's district before him, and was planning on staying at Kuroko's house. "I'm sharing a room with Muro-chin," the lazy male provided, letting Kuroko and Akashi know that they would be alone together (with Nigou, of course).

He pulled his shirt off, showing off his well-toned and muscled body. He slowly began the long journey of getting off his bed to change his clothes. "Does this look okay?" Murasakibara asked innocently. "I'm meeting Muro-chin tonight and then I'm sleeping over at his house."

Kuroko covered his mouth with his hand to hide a smile that was sure to be there. It was like he was the mother of a child that was about to go on his first date! After glancing at Akashi a few times, he registered that the redhead was having similar feelings, officially making Kuroko and Akashi high school parents of a child much, much…taller than them. Their "son" looked at the people he was on call with, confused as to why they were simply staring at him.

"You look so CUTE Murasakibaracchi~!" Kise finally shrieked, letting out the pent up emotion he had inside when he first saw the purple haired teen. "But fix your collar over here," the blonde attempted to use his own collar to show his friend where a repair was needed. "Other than that, you pass with me!" He held out two of his fingers in a victory sign, laughing as he did so.

"Your date'll be fine, Murasakibara. Don't sweat it," Aomine offered, not quite knowing how to react, or even what to tell the man. He wasn't one for giving advice, as he was bad with words. Aomine liked to call himself a man of action.

"You are conveniently wearing your lucky item- a purple scarf. Everything should go in your favor tonight." Murasakibara assumed that was the best that he would get from the optimum tsundere Midorima.

"Aka-chin? Kuro-chin?" The taller teen tilted his head to the side adorably, wondering why his "parents" weren't complimenting him or giving him advice.

"You're not a child anymore, Murasakibara-kun. You-."

"-Can make your own decisions about who you date. Although...you still-."

"-Missed a little kink in your collar, but other than that-."

"-You may leave, Atsushi."

Murasakibara left the conversation immediately, closing his laptop with a satisfying click.

"It's kinda creepy how you guys can still do that weird...finish-each-other's-sentence thing." A certain tanned male retorted, snorting at the fact that the two were still able to communicate as they had before the whole, "We-are-Better-than-Everyone," phase.

"Daiki, you and Ryouta will be escorting Tetsuya home. Make sure that nothing happens to him. Understood?"

The two in question gulped audibly, nodding furiously to let him know that they had heard him and that the threat in his voice was well received.

"Now everyone- excluding Tetsuya- do leave the room, as I need to speak with him." His orders were carried out quickly and efficiently, and soon the two were left alone with each other. When he was absolutely sure that the other three were gone, Akashi continued. "I miss you, Tetsuya."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Akashi-kun," Kuroko sighed at Akashi's overprotective and slightly endearing antics.

"Twenty-four hours is a long time to wait."

"But I'll be waiting for you at home with dinner prepared, Akashi-kun."

A brief smile crossed Akashi's features. "I'll be looking forward to it. But I worry about you sometimes, and you know that." Akashi shook his head as he chuckled, "Be on your guard, and be careful, Tetsuya."

Their Skype call ended with the sound of Akashi and Kuroko clicking the 'hang up' button at the exact same time.

"Goodnight, my dear Tetsuya."

"Sleep well, Akashi-kun. Be safe tomorrow."

* * *

(A/N: There we have it! That's the first chapter of my second official fanfic! I know this chapter focused on Midorima, and that's how the next few chapters are going to go. I'm planning on moving along with the plot that I have, but I'm going to dedicate a chapter for each person in the Generation of Miracles. Each of them are definitely unique from one another, although Kuroko's and maybe Akashi's won't be completely revealed until the ending part of the story. If you think that's a good idea, then please write a review and tell me! Please review with your thoughts on the story, and whatnot. It's your review! I also hope that the beginning wasn't too cliché…Please also follow, and/or favorite this story! Thank you for reading, and please wait for the chapters to come!

(1) When I said 'red-eyed teen', I was indeed referencing Akashi. When he was younger, his eyes were both red, and not heterochromatic yet.

The first person to figure out what the title references gets a one-shot of their choice! There's more to the title that shall be revealed later, but until then, this is all you're getting! Guesses are fine too~! /winks and is bricked horribly~ )


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: Thank you so~ much for your reviews, and for following/favorite-ing my story! Although none of the guesses were completely accurate, I'm really surprised that people actually guessed. I thought it'd just be this ignored little part of my little Author's Note insert. Anyway, thank you for all your support you've shown so far! I'll be sure to try and update as often as I possibly can, but please understand that if I don't it, it's not because I'm abandoning this story or forgetting about it! This past week was insanely busy for me! /pouts~ I had Honor Band practically every night, and an aikido test on Saturday! Well, I'll be sure to work on this more! Small edits were made here and there. Disclaimer- I don't own Kuroko no Basuke.)

* * *

_"Those kids'll blow up like the Fourth of July in America. Won't that be a sight?"_

_"Man, we'll be the talk of the century!"_

_"What makes ya say that? They're jus' a bunch of kids."_

_"No, no, no. They're not _just_ a rowdy group of kids. They're not even close! I mean, guess who's on that train? It's-."_

_'It's…'_

* * *

"Akashi-kun, is something the matter?" A fellow Rakuzan student asked the redhead, watching as his eyes suddenly opened without warning after being closed for about ten to fifteen minutes. The girl waved over an attendant, beckoning for the man to pay close attention to what was about to be said. The redhead closed his eyes again, giving the image of a perfectly calm person.

"The train is rigged, and is planned to blow up when we reach the bend. We need everyone to evacuate before that happens." Akashi's eyes blinked open, confirming to the attendant that he was Akashi Seijuurou, son of two of the greatest people to walk the earth. Everyone knew that an Akashi's word was absolute; you wouldn't _think_ of going against one unless you were stupid, suicidal, or both.

As Akashi ordered, everyone on the train jumped off, landing safely outside of the monorail. They all watched in horror as the train sped up on its own and exploded.

"Everyone, we need to walk to the closest town in order to contact Seirin and let them know that we will still be attending the curriculum exchange, but will not be attending. From our current location, it will take two to three hours to get to Seirin by walking, or an hour by car or bus. There will be a bus to deliver the class to Seirin in the morning, but until then you will all be staying in one of the local hotels." Akashi pulled out his cell phone, trying his best to get reception along the walk. The sooner he got in contact with the rest of the Generation of Miracles, the less _his_ Tetsuya would freak out.

Akashi's cheeks turned a slightly pale pink as he pondered the relationship he held with the shadow. They were like the parents of the Generation of Miracles, and their bonds with each other were much stronger than any ordinary ones. But their relationship didn't have a name, title, or anything special. They were simply Akashi Seijuurou and Kuroko Tetsuya.

Later on, he would have to ask Tetsuya what their relationship would be called, or if they even had a specific relationship to begin with. It bothered Akashi so, but he figured that if he gave a name to their connection, and Tetsuya merely saw them as associates, then it'd end up negatively for the redhead.

* * *

"It's come to my attention that rumors have been spread regarding the students of Rakuzan will arrive today. It is with deep regret that I tell you all that the train they were on fell off of the train tracks. Police have yet to investigate, but as this is not a high priority, they will attend to it at a later date. There has been no word from Rakuzan, so we have yet to know if they have survived or not. Please stand by for more information. Thank you. You are all dismissed, and shall report to your first period class." The superintendent of Seirin walked off of the stage, thus cueing the loud gasps of shock and surprise.

Kagami knew when he heard about the train wreck involving Rakuzan that Kuroko was going to be in dire need of his comfort. As much as he wanted to deny it, Kuroko was fairly attached to the Generation of Miracles, and from what the PF remembered, Rakuzan was the school that Akashi Seijuurou, the _captain_ of the MiraGen attended. He also remembered that Kuroko had _actually_ been _talking_ about Rakuzan; Kuroko _never_ talked about other schools unless it was related to basketball. The American basketball player used his hand to shield the light that burned down on his face, squinting his eyes to help him look for the phantom player. He spotted the smaller male making a beeline for the gates in front of the school, and he automatically guessed what he was going to do. Rushing over to the shadow as quickly as he possibly could without being too obvious or getting caught, Kagami reached Kuroko just as he was about to leave.

"Kagami-kun, I know you're behind me…" Kuroko mumbled quietly, his head tilted forward as he gazed at the pavement before him. "I have to go home. My younger sister's anniversary is today, and I have to meet her at home." Expecting the tiger-like, basketball idiot to let him go, Kuroko was not prepared for Kagami's following outburst.

"That's bull, Kuroko," the taller male grit out, clenching his fists. "We've been teammates for this long and you can't even trust me this much? I thought we were partners, Kuroko!" Kagami's breaths were ragged now as he tried his best to keep his voice down.

The teal haired male was taken aback by the confession from the current light of Seirin, and opted out of looking at the other male, instead choosing to find something to catch his eye on the sidewalk. Regretfully, his eyes rose with his head, and within a few seconds, he found himself looking Kagami Taiga in the eye. The normally fierce and red eyes that stared back into his were now clouded with confusion, and a hint of distrust. The shadow sighed, knowing that hiding anything at all would make the situation worse. "You're right, Akashi-kun _was_ on the train that crashed, and that's why I'm leaving. The police won't investigate the train wreck, so that leaves us."

"Us?" Kagami repeated the term with slight concern and another load of uncertainty.

"The Generation of Miracles, Kagami-kun. I'm sure that you known that Akashi-kun was," and is, Kuroko mentally added, "the captain of our basketball team. He led us to victory in middle school, and took care of each an every one of our needs, no matter how frivolous they seemed." The phantom sixth man chuckled lightly, remembering all of the trouble he and the other MiraGen members had caused the absolute redhead. "Even when Kise-kun's fan girls interrupted yet another one of our training sessions, Aomine-kun skipped one too many practices, Murasakibara-kun refused to do any warm-ups or run at all, and another one of Midorima-kun's bad horoscope wouldn't allow him to play in a match, Akashi-kun never walked out on us."

Kagami seemed to understand better with every bit of history that Kuroko was slowly telling him. The fiery haired male reached out and ruffled Kuroko's baby blue locks. "See ya tomorrow, Kuroko. You better be at practice!" He turned away, jogging quickly and casually back to the building his next class could be found in.

As soon as Kagami was out of sight, a tall figure stepped out of the shadows. "Aomine and Kise are already investigating the train wreck as we speak. I had them leave approximately three hours ago, so they should have had enough time to gather information."

The phones in both of their pockets rang out simultaneously. Kuroko chose to open his phone, reading the message the device held. "It looks like Aomine-kun and Kise-kun found it already.

* * *

"Look here, Aominecchi." The particular blonde belonging to Kaijou's basketball club glanced at the objects he held in his right hand with a look of disgust. "Someone _did_ rig the tracks." He held up a few, large nails that would've been instrumental in keeping the train tracks bolted down and safe, and another small device.

"They didn't only mess with the tracks," a low voice rumbled back, smoothly emerging from the rubble that once was a train. "If you put these back together," Aomine took the gadget from Kise, "then you'll make the train a bomb, _and_ controllable by a remote."

Kise blinked in surprise, "Didn't Midorimacchi's dad invent those?"

His tanned partner shrugged half-heartedly. "Well yeah, but this looks more like what happened after Murasakibara added onto it." He exhaled in frustration at the complications of what was supposed to be a simple assignment. "It looks like an exact replica of the ones we have back at Akashi and Tetsu's."

"Did…" Kise hesitated, his eyes watering slightly.

"Did I what? Spit it out, Kise."

"Did you see any bodies?" Aomine roughly translated Kise's short and quick phrase to: _Did you find Akashicchi's body?_

"No, 'didn't find a single body. I'm guessin' that one of his 'visions' saved him again. They always seem to." The navy haired male paused to rethink his statement, clearing his throat to correct himself. "Well, they _usually_ do. I think I've got a pretty good understanding of what happened, and it takes a _hell_ of a lot more to kill the devil."

* * *

The sounds of complaints filled the once peaceful atmosphere, turning it into a somewhat hectic chaos. Some students were sitting down, others were crawling, and a few were still walking, refusing to give into their growing urge to rest. Akashi was one of the remaining students that were still walking, although he was the only one that wasn't protesting his current situation, despite the frustration he felt towards his lack of cell phone service. Sweat was beginning to gather on his pale forehead, glistening in the hot, hot sun.

Oddly familiar, yet loud bickering caused him to falter in his steps, forcing him to turn towards the source of the noise. After having heard them argue since practically forever, Akashi could distinguish between the two voices, and name each of them with his eyes closed. "Ryouta? Daiki?"

The two named males rushed to where they heard their name being called, shouting when they saw Akashi and the rest of his group. "Akashicchi!" The energetic blonde tackled the Rakuzan captain, laughing as he did so. A long smile was stretched across his face, and it seemed to be growing larger and larger with each passing second. "You're not dead!" Kise howled with happiness, looking to Aomine with contentment.

Quite contrary to the joy that the model was showing, the other male held a more concerned expression. "Why haven't you called Tetsu yet?" He stormed over to the shorter male, glaring _down _at him.

Akashi raised an eyebrow, giving the ace an incredulous look. "There's no available service until the next town over." Being the captain of the MiraGen, he was prepared to dodge the punch that was sent his way. "Explain yourself, Daiki."

For an explanation, Aomine held up his and Kise's cell phones, pointing out the abundance in service. To prove his own point (and in slight retaliation), the redhead showed the other two basketball aces his own cellular, which told him that he wasn't able to contact anyone.

"There _was_ some evidence of tampering with the electronics on the train…" Kise spoke softly, making sure that he spoke carefully, as to not have the rage of two very strong males directed towards him. "But since Akashicchi and the rest of group were probably exposed to the source of that, it busted all of their phones and computers." The blonde was the only constant field agent who specialized in examining equipment, as although Midorima did the same, the green haired male was rarely sent out. He brushed a few golden locks away from his chocolate-y brown eyes, causing a multitude of Rakuzan girls to pass out from blood loss. Kise continued his "merciless attack" on the girls around him as he wiped perspiration from his forehead and neck with a few fluid motions, not even checking to see if the other two members were around him.

"_Hah_, Tetsu?"

"Midorima_cchi_?"

Both Aomine and Kise answered the other person's phone in the other's personal way, finding a somewhat sadistic enjoyment in torturing themselves and the other person at the exact same time. Akashi watched the two with an amused and indifferent expression, not quite knowing what to do with the two idiots anymore. They were off in another world of theirs (which was completely different from the reality he was living), and were quite ignorant of what was going on as they both hung up, snickering and laughing (in Kise's case).

"Aominecchi! Aominecchi!" Aomine mocked, raising his voice to match Kise's pitch, although he overshot it by far.

The blonde pouted, not liking the way he was being portrayed. In "repayment", Kise crossed his arms behind his head and slouched, continuing to walk. "What, _Kise_?" The low, rough growl that was present in Aomine's usual tone was clearly evident in the Kise's voice, and the PF had to admit that it was a great imitation. "See? Perfect copy!"

"That's enough, you two," the frightening captain of the GoM pinched the bridge of his nose to calm his nerves and push back the oncoming headache he was feeling. "Where are we meeting Tetsuya and Shintarou, and when?"

Hearing that the question was directed towards him, Kise turned towards Akashi, now jogging backwards to make sure that he was still moving. "Kurokocchi didn't tell me much, but he said that it's where you introduced Murasakibaracchi to him. He also said that he was leaving Seirin in a car with Midorimacchi, so he should be here in a little over an hour."

Akashi nodded in understanding, stretching his arms and legs once more before picking up his pace to force Kise and Aomine to actually jog. "We should hurry up if we are to meet up with Tetsuya on time." Agreeing completely, the three MiraGen males hurried their pace once more, wanting nothing more than to escape the heat that was surrounding them and to meet up with their companions, where a cold drink was surely waiting.

* * *

"Welcome to our café! Would you like a table for three? Or are you expecting more?" The overly cheery blonde reminded Kise of himself, except for the difference of gender. She also had similar colored eyes, and seemed to glow with lightheartedness. A silver charm hung loosely on a black chain over her white uniform top, which was covered by a black apron. The rest of her equipment included a black miniskirt that was _way_ too short in his opinion, and knee high black socks with a pair of black vans.

"We'll take the back room, Sayoko-san," Akashi smiled, cocking his head to the right to give off the persona of a seemingly innocent citizen, completely untouched by matters such as explosions and attempted assassinations. His crimson irises drifted to a seemingly normal wall, cueing their attendant in on his request.

"As you wish, Akashi-sama." Sayoko- as Akashi had called her- bowed to the three of them, gesturing for the three males to follow her to where the redhead seemed to be looking. She opened the door, revealing two people already sitting at a table. Midorima and Kuroko were both making small talk, trying to stay away from any topics that might cause a disagreement. Additionally, Murasakibara was not able to come due to the fact that he wasn't allowed to ditch practice when it was this close to a tournament.

"Now that we're all here, I believe we can finally begin business," the tealette laced his fingers together around the glass of ice tea he had in front of him, observing the tan color of the liquid. "From what we've gathered, this was an assassination attempt on your life, Akashi-kun."

Said male's eyes widened slightly, despite having already thought of this option many, many times. It just seemed as a bit of a quick conclusion, and it bothered him greatly that the shorter male before him would come to such a rash decision without much thought. "I beg your pardon, Tetsuya?"

"Please drop the act, Akashi-kun. You, me, and the rest of us here know that what happened a few mere _hours_ ago was an attempt to get _rid_ of you." Seeing the rationality in what was being said`````` brought Akashi back to some sort of an understanding, although he still needed more proof. As if expecting this, Kuroko took a deep breath and prepared to present his evidence in the matter at hand. "The tracks were rigged, and clear evidence of foul play was involved. Aomine-kun and Kise-kun confirmed this when they found a few electronic devices key in bringing down such a large train."

"You're not usually this reckless, Tetsuya."

"Reckless? Quite the contrary, Akashi-kun, I'm _worried_. We were _all_ worried about you. After this, we can't afford to be taking any risks at all. There's no other way to look at this. There are people out to kill us, and they're making their moves now. We _all_ have to be more careful." Kuroko spoke up, calling those around him to listen to his orders. "I don't want anyone walking anywhere alone; always walk in crowded places. If you must walk alone, call someone else."

Akashi continued for him. "Be especially careful of class trips, and do not trust anyone. We all have to watch out for each other."

"I don't want anyone to get hurt like before…" Kuroko gripped the fabric of his pants tightly, clenching and unclenching his fists as he remembered the tragedy that befell them before.

"Tetsu, calm down. We're stronger than before, okay?"

"Although that may be true, Daiki, you cannot forget. If we've gotten stronger, than so have they. If we've improved our skills, then so have they. We can't be getting too arrogant; we can't afford it."

"Aomine-kun…have you forgotten what happens because of arrogance?"

The tanned male swallowed thickly, looking to the side in slight submission. He knew he was wrong for how he acted, but it was the truth. While the enemy was getting stronger, so were they! It wasn't as if they were getting rusty as the aged; in fact, their skills were better than ever!

"I understand your enthusiasm, Aomine-kun, but for now all we need to do is lie low for a bit. Kagami-kun isn't as dumb as he looks, and he's beginning to get suspicious."

* * *

After their plans for the next few weeks were sorted out, the celebration of Akashi's life began. The MiraGen members that were there began laughing and talking amongst themselves, throwing a miniature and private party. After having one too many drinks, Aomine began to prod into Kise's modeling career and inferred about one of _his_ personal favorites- a certain Horikita Mai-chan.

"They're _so_ fake, Aominecchi! I mean, when I model with her I can _feel_ the fakeness from her boobs!" The blonde grabbed at where his chest would be if he were female, making slightly obscene, but very drunk gestures.

"Kise, you liar! They're real, and you're just _jealous_," Aomine slurred his words together, patting himself on the back for his comeback.

"Why would I be jealous, _Aho_minecchi?" Kise huffed, snapping his fingers together. "I know who you should meet! You should meet Kasamatsucchi!"

Shaking his head at Kise's antics, Aomine got up from the table, having fully mastered how to walk perfectly while intoxicated without showing any signs of being completely and utterly hammered. He threw an arm around Kise's neck and marched out of the GoM's personal room, slowly making his way to the entrance of the café.

"Thanks, Sayokocchi!" Kise shouted over his shoulder, shrugging Aomine's arm in favor of skipping around the group. "But continuing on, Aominecchi! You and Kasamatsucchi wouldn't get along at _all_, Aominecchi! Kasamatsucchi would be kicking you at every chance he would get! He doesn't like disrespect, and doesn't seem to like me very much." The blonde pouted, placing his hands on either side of his face. "But I _want_ him to like me, Aominecchi!"

His tanned partner raised an eyebrow at the model's actions. If he wasn't being totally delusional (and wasn't drunk at all), then it sounded like a love confession to the wrong man. "Geez, Kise. If you like that captain of yours so much, then confess to him already."

_'You don't get it…do you, Aominecchi? I don't like Kasamatsucchi! While I can't deny that he's good-looking, I can't look at him _that_ way!_' "Aominecchi is too dense," Kise criticized with a laugh, "you'll never get a girlfriend that way!" Or a boyfriend, the other field agent added mentally.

"Tch. Why would I worry about something like that, Kise?"

Someone's getting a little suspicious. "Well, unlike _you_, _I_ don't want to spend my entire life alone!"

"Maybe I'm waiting for the right person."

"That's-."

"That's really hard to believe when we're talking about you, Aomine-kun." Kuroko deadpanned, having slightly recovered from his shock.

"T-Tetsu! I'm not looking for anyone yet! Besides, there's no one I know that I'd date, anyway."

Kise's eyes widened before Kuroko beat him to the chase. "Maybe you're just not looking hard enough, Aomine-kun."

* * *

(A/N: Again, I _sincerely_ apologize for my lack of work! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. Anyway, please shoot me a review with your thoughts about this good ol' chapter of mine. Please review, follow, and/or favorite!)


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: I'm dearly sorry for my absence. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I put lots of work into making it a bit interesting! Disclaimer- I don't own Kuroko no Basuke.)

* * *

"It's still very ironic isn't it, Tetsuya?" The Rakuzan captain noted with an air of indifference, chuckling as he walked the unfamiliar high school campus alongside the teal haired male. He had stayed the previous night at the main household with his Tetsuya, so they had both gone to school together. This had ultimately meant that the basketball shadow didn't have to spend his morning _attempting_ to slip through a large mass of students in order to meet up with Akashi. It wouldn't have been _hard_, per say, but it would have been time consuming, and neither party enjoyed wasting their time

In response to the previous question, Kuroko shrugged. "I guess it is, Akashi-kun." To be truthful, although it was ironic and probably should have been what he was thinking about, he was completely bothered by another, unrelated matter. The foremost thoughts traversing the front of his mind were centered around how awkward it was to be around someone who was constantly aware of him at all times of the day. He wasn't used to the attention, and it reminded Kuroko just how much he had gotten used to being practically invisible. Upon pondering this, he realized that it was probably as natural to the redhead as breathing by now, or, to make it more ironic, as easy as looking for your shadow on a hot summer day. "I guess it is."

* * *

"Is everything alright, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked suddenly, pulling out both his and Akashi's bento. "If you're bored, then we can find somewhere else to eat."

Akashi shook his head in response, grabbing Kuroko's hands and holding both in his own. "Something's bothering you, Tetsuya, and I don't like when I don't know things. It especially bothers me when I don't know what the matter with you is." He rubbed his right thumb over the knuckles of Kuroko's right hand as comfortingly and calmly as he possibly could, trying his best to ease the phantom player's worry.

"I'm fine, Akashi-kun," the teal haired male looked to the side, cautiously thinking over what he was to do next. Akashi was an extremely bright male, and certain actions would lead him straight to the source of Kuroko's concerns, which was the _exact_ opposite of what he wanted to do. If he were more in control of the situation, Kuroko would have pulled Akashi off of the ground with him and directed the redhead to third period, which was about to start, whether the two shortest members of the MiraGen willed it to or not. "But we should get going to class now. It won't be good on your records if you're late to class."

"Then we simply will not attend, Tetsuya. We have a meeting to attend in a few hours, and it's better to prepare for it instead of fretting over a multitude of formulas we both already know," Akashi chided softly, pulling Kuroko as well as himself onto his feet. He sighed quietly as he noticed the other male drag his feet, clearly not happy with skipping any of his classes for the rest of the day. To be truthful, Kuroko actually enjoyed sitting through classes, having found a joyful new pastime- watching Kagami get in trouble for sleeping during class!

The two began the short trek to the main household where numerous papers were scattered everywhere. To put it short, the previous incident involving the train wreck (combined with the possibility that someone [or some group] was threatening the rest of the MiraGen) put Kuroko on edge. The tealette had barely gotten any sleep the night before, as he could have been found going through stacks and stacks of files containing information on all of the people that would want to oppose him, or any of the members of the Generation of Miracles. It was a long and tiring process filled with a multitude of vanilla shakes and sweets. In the end, Kuroko's search had proved fruitless, though Akashi had ordered that the files be copied and shown to the other GoM members, in the event that there was hidden information, which could only be drawn out with the limited sources each MiraGen member had.

As an example, Midorima's family dealt with science, both medical and not. This gave the 'horoscope freak' access to an _extremely_ large (and fairly organized) database with complete information on all he would possibly need to know in the medical field. No hidden message concerning medicines would pass the green haired male's watchful eyes (despite the fact that they were kept behind a pair of glasses).

* * *

The two high school males strode into the meeting room, calling forth an air of status and strength to their small frames. Their family names were nothing to laugh at, and their very presence silenced the room quickly. Akashi and Kuroko took their seats by the head of the table, sitting on his right side; the two both had reserved seats, and the other occupants of the room knew full well of their rank the moment they were seated.

The leader of the meeting cleared his throat, pulling out a paper that was probably labeled with the protocols he was to read before opening. "The meeting will commence in a few minutes, so make sure that any cases you wish to present have been checked by one of our officers at the side office. Any issues not reviewed will not be made known, as their importance is not of high enough rank to be heard by such an audience. Another private meeting will be held if you wish for your problem and/or complaint to be heard. Are there any questions before we move on?" His question was met with complete and utter silence, letting him know that it was fine to continue on. "None? Good. My name is Nijimura Shuuzou, and I will be leading this meeting." Exhaling with a slightly irritated fashion, he looked to the open seat to his left, knowing full well who would be strolling into the meeting.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm late. I got it." The door was kicked down, causing a loud _boom_ to echo throughout the vacant space in which this meeting was about to take place. No one dared to move except for the late party consisting of one.

"Explain your tardiness, Shougo," Nijimura barked out, wanting nothing more than to strangle the younger male before him. As a heavy sigh escaped cracked, weary, and parted lips, the _senpai_ was forced to realize how alike this was to their routine a few years back, when they were both still attending Teikou Middle School, and playing basketball together (as a team).

"Nothin' much…had ta take care of a few _strays_ though." He flashed a wild grin, taking his rightful spot on the opposite side of Nijimura. "Hey. You over there…" Haizaki dragged his words out as long as he could for the dramatic flare, pointing to one of the weaker groups of the organization. "I might look like some lil ol' delinquent, but I assure ya, I ain't jus' some pushover. If your guys jump me again, they're gonna be comin' back as pieces in your mailbox. Got that?" His grin widened, promising bloody and painful deaths.

To put it simply, this meeting was a gathering of all of the major groups that made up this large community. The closer you sat to the leader of the meeting, the stronger your group was. In this case, the mafia Kuroko and Akashi were representing were stronger than the others, putting them directly next to Nijimura. Haizaki was the representative of another mafia- one with _almost_ equivalent rank to Kuroko and Akashi's- so he was placed to the direct left of the former Teikou captain. The people sitting to the pair's right and Haizaki's left decreased in strength and rank, and the two people sitting on the opposite end of the table were labeled as the weakest. Upon his arrival, Haizaki had directed his attention to a group that was on the other end of the table, and had shown his dominance by sitting in a chair a lot closer than theirs. In doing this, the lesser company had been shown up, and had also learned the significance of research, for Haizaki was well known through their miniscule, rank-centered world.

"Now, ignoring _Shougo_, we will now begin the main section of our meeting. According to my paper…Kuroko will be presenting his issue first. Kuroko Tetsuya, please stand up and address the rest of us," Nijimura read, his eye twitching slightly as he watched Haizaki yawn, making no attempt to cover his mouth or hide his obvious boredom. Stepping back to allow Kuroko to take the spot at the head of the table, the former captain of the Teikou basketball team placed himself directly behind Haizaki, using two fingers to accurately (and firmly) press down on the back of Haizaki's neck, in the area slightly below the cerebellum and just above the spinal cord. "Pay close attention, brat," he hissed out, slowly increasing the amount of force he was using, before pulling his fingers off of Haizaki's neck. The _'brat'_ being referred to rubbed at the sore spot on his neck once he could move, clearly irritated by the little paralysis stunt his former upperclassman of Teikou had played on him.

Ignoring the little _'lover's quarrel'_ going on, Kuroko stood up, taking with him a folder filled with copies of multiple reports and pictures. "Thank you Nijimura-san," Kuroko began politely, sliding one of the manila folders he held in his right hand down the table. The folder opened gently, causing all of its contents to spill out and continue sliding. "This is a report of an incident which occurred precisely three days ago. You will find the contents to be rather…surprising." The teal haired male crossed his arms, waiting for the newfound information to sink in.

A representative two chairs down jumped to his feet in outrage, balling the report up. "This is nonsense, and I refuse to believe such a ludicrous assessment! I don't care how high up you might be, _Tetsuya_, if it's bull, I call bull! Do you understand me?" Preparing to throw the report (and a small weight hidden inside) at Kuroko, the unruly male was caught by surprise at the sudden burst of pain he experienced. His wrist had been twisted far beyond its' natural stopping point, and as such, was causing him much grief. A seemingly calm redhead with heterochromatic eyes now dangled the paper he was about to throw in front of his eyes.

Clicking his tongue, said male shook his head at the mere stupidity of such a low-life, muttering under his breath about trash. "I believe you were about to throw this at Tetsuya. Now, had you decided to attack another person in this room, I, frankly, would not give a _damn_. But seeing as you made a move to directly threaten _my_ Tetsuya, I will have to deal with you myself; since not only were you about to harm him, you _dared_ to call him by his given name," Akashi snarled lowly, slowly retrieving his most trusted weapon of torture- his scissors. "And for that, I will show you your place. Let this be a lesson to you. Respect those above you, _peasant_." Practically spitting the last word out with malice dripping from it, Akashi drove his scissors mercilessly into his victims' right shoulder, dragging the sharp instrument down his arm, and repeating the process to the other arm. "That's to teach you to never throw things at Tetsuya." Two identical slashes were made on both hands, though the prestigious male was careful to make sure that his little torture-object wouldn't fall unconscious due to the shear amounts of pain he was surely in.

"This is to teach you to never speak out of turn." Bits and pieces of flesh and skin were sent flying as the scissors bit into the area around (and including) his mouth. "And this…will insure that you will never stand against us again." With two clean cuts, the man's ankles were severed from his body.

It was always like this at meetings. No meeting would ever be peaceful, due to the constant disagreements among the differing groups. One person would speak out against another, and the higher-ups would dispose of both parties if needed, or the higher-ups would be included in the strife, and would thus have to take down their opponent. In a world such as this, peace was only a hopeful dream thought up by an innocent and sheltered child in their first five years of life, although children with a mafia background were considered lucky to remain pure for such a long time.

Nijimura motioned for some of the guards to drag away the body and deal with the mess, casually gesturing to the bloody pile of flesh and ruined table area, "Continue on with your case, Kuroko," he managed, shaking his head as he talked.

"Thank you, Nijimura-san. Moving on, the day after the attack, the train carrying Akashi-san was rigged and exploded. The plot was a failure, and no one was injured." Kuroko threw the next folder, which included both copies of a detailed report, and HD pictures of the evidence.

"So what you're sayin' is that ya think that someone's got his eye on your little gang 'o miracles, yeah? Heh, never would've guessed...but I might have some info 'bout that, 'cuz you guys ain't the only ones gettin' attacked. Seems like they're only tryin' ta get ta me too…" Haizaki ran a hand through his messy hair, sighing as he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth to let out an indignant puff of smoke.

Nodding to the comments, Kuroko faced Haizaki completely, recognizing the look on the other's face as one that could be described easily- _'Oh hell'_. "I propose an alliance, Haizaki-kun. Are you willing to accept?"

Let it be known that alliances were highly uncommon, due to the fact that they were highly unsuccessful. People dealing with this occupation had a tendency to have trust issues, which were most likely derived from ruined pasts, stained by the consequences of broken promises. The Generation of Miracles (including Haizaki) all had their fair share of unfortunate events, all of which could be compiled together to make an anthology of horror stories. It was thoughts like these that made people wonder why a group as strong (read as 'arrogant' if you wish) as the GoM would even _think_ about an alliance, even if the end result _could_ be satisfactory, and would bring about magnificent changes.

"Are ya askin' for just me or…?" Haizaki's voice trailed off, a smirk tugging on the ends of his lips as he recognized the affirmation in Kuroko and Akashi's eyes. He held out his hand to seal the deal, his smirk growing ever so slightly as the passing specialist reached out as well, completing their little handshake.

"We'll discuss this on the way to dinner, Haizaki-kun," Kuroko ended the conversation quickly, taking his seat once again by Akashi. Both were extremely pleased by what had just occurred, having realized the risks they had to take in order to make such a proposal. Intertwining his fingers on the table area in front of him, the teal haired male relaxed into his chair slightly, sneaking a glance at his former basketball captain. The regal redhead was seated in a manner similar to the male staring at him, although he wasn't relaxed, as he had occupied himself with analyzing everyone sitting at the table. At every meeting they attended together, Akashi found it his duty to keep close tabs on each person sitting on the table, committing every habit they had to memory.

For example, if a person had a tendency to always bring different guests to the meetings, then Akashi would immediately deduce that the representative had violent tendencies and a shady background. He would now know to avoid deals with this particular group, and would instead focus on a rep who had his or her shoulders pulled back to puff out his or her chest. It was a sign of confidence or arrogance, both of which Akashi looked for in potential business partners. In another sense, this probably meant that the person wasn't used to fighting, in which Akashi would be able to enjoy the screams of pain as he slowly tortured his victim to his or her _unfortunate_ demise. You see, there are indeed reasons behind the madness known as Akashi Seijuurou, son of two of the greatest (and scariest) people to ever grace this earth. There are also reasons as to why he is as violent and masochistic as he is now, but in order to learn why, you'd have to dive into the deep, dark, and forbidden abyss known as his childhood. For most children, a quick glimpse of their childhood would bring immediate happiness; for Akashi, it only served as a reminder of his childish tendencies, mistakes, immaturity, and ignorance. This probably could be attributed to his first five years of life, which were not pretty (unless you considered the daily sight of dismembered bodies, spilled organs, and overflowing blood a pleasant sight).

Feeling a pair of familiar eyes on him, Akashi looked to his right, raising an eyebrow at Kuroko. "Is something wrong, Tetsuya? I don't believe I have anything on my face." He chuckled at the smaller male's pink face, relishing in his ability to mess with the other. It took extreme skill to be able to cause any emotion to bloom on Kuroko's normally emotionless face, and a blush was even more rare. If Akashi were to later decide to hold a competition concerning who could affect Kuroko the most, he was confident in his win. The only other male standing in his way would have to be Daiki, due to the fact that merely bringing up their Teikou days was enough to make Kuroko draw in a quick breath and smoothly change the conversation. Ah, well, Akashi was absolute and always right, so he'd win the competition. There was no need to delve into such depressing and incorrect thoughts, as his win was already guaranteed. On a side note, let it be noticed that Akashi should not even be thinking about such trivial matters during a meeting so important as the one he was sitting in.

"Is there something on my face this time, Akashi-kun? You've been looking at me for the past minute or so…" Kuroko mumbled, subtly waving a hand in front of Akashi's face (particularly his eyes). The other male seemed to be deep in thought, as he was not responding anyhow. The only reaction he received from his previous action was a startled blink, although even that did nothing to pull Akashi from his thoughts. Choosing to let the redhead stare off into wherever it was that his mind found itself, Kuroko resumed paying attention to the meeting, as boring as he might've found it.

He wasn't about to admit it, but when Haizaki had decidedly left the meeting in favor of getting a bite to eat, it brought relief to finally leave that boring concrete block of a meeting place.

* * *

Making sure to stay a step ahead, the silver haired male found himself tasked with the duty of keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks of any kind, seeing as the normally on-guard redhead was busy with business requiring him on the phone. Despite the importance of the job thrust upon his broad shoulders, Haizaki walked lazily, an air of arrogance surrounding the trio. It'd been like a flash of the past, a reminder of all the times the three had spent together (though back then there were usually other people with them).

Deciding to make conversation, Kuroko looked to Haizaki, intending on speaking directly to him. "How have you been since our last meeting, Haizaki-kun?" Well, it'd sounded better in his head; Kuroko's attempt had indeed been a valiant effort on his part, though it seemed utterly ridiculous and useless to Haizaki.

Noticing the worn out expression painted on the shadows' usually deadpan face, Haizaki let out a sigh. If it were anyone else, the violent male would have ignored him/her without a doubt, but it was Kuroko. The boy standing next to him had saved him, and he owed him his life. "S'been pretty crazy 'cuz the big boss's barkin' out orders faster than we can get 'em done," he admitted, keeping his head up as to not look weak.

"It's quite surprising to hear that from you, Shougo." Akashi pondered aloud, tapping his red cell phone against his right cheek in thought. The overall thought of such an arrogant male confessing to being overworked in what was considered a peaceful time was equally confusing, turning his curiosity into suspicion. "Is something the matter? Is there something you want to tell us now that there's no one else? You're hiding something, Shougo," the redhead wasn't going out on a limb when he said this; reluctance and guilt were clearly reflected in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Kuroko shook his head at the antics of Rakuzan's basketball captain before realizing that what Akashi was saying was the cold-blooded truth. Lately, the head of the group Haizaki was in was getting bold; this had been a factor in Haizaki's leave from their group, so it wasn't that big of a concern. But now, after all the trouble the GoM was experiencing, they were constantly on their guard, not even trusting those who had provided them help in the past years. "Anyway, do we know where we are to meet up?"

Haizaki turned to Akashi, knowing that the answer resided with the absolute, shorter male. Exhaling loudly, he felt a rush of relief flood his inner self, reaching out to every part of his body in order to deliver the much-needed comfort. For once in a _long_ time, he wasn't being ordered on another useless mission filled with unnecessary interactions with weak people he didn't want to work with, and a heap of injuries. Flinching at the memories, he continued walking, ignoring Kuroko and Akashi's lingering looks on his strong and broad back. "If that's the ride we're waitin' for, then we better hurry up." Turning around briefly to relay the message, Haizaki sighed at their looks. "I'll tell ya both more later."

"H-Haizaki?" Four voices chorused in surprise, taking in the appearance of the former member of their group, noticing the bandage lazily placed on his right cheek and the slightly puff of his left sleeve around his shoulder area.

Smirking at their shocked faces, the ashen haired male pointed to himself with his thumb. "Guess who's back?"

* * *

(A/N: I am SO SORRY for the hiatus-thing I took. My writing style needed some work so I took a break to get better I apologize sincerely, and I hope that as my writing improves, more and more people will come to enjoy it. Please review, follow, and/or favorite!)


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